As It Seems
by ArwenLalaith
Summary: Lux had sought out her birth mother, only intending to see her the once...she didn't expect to end up in a new home with two mothers, a half-brother who believed in fairytales, and a whole town full of craziness. Co-written with Confetti Leaves.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: If you're familiar with the show _Life Unexpected _(which you totally should check out if you aren't because it's adorable), you'll recognize the character of Lux. If not, you will be as the story goes on. This isn't technically a crossover because it's set exclusively in the OUAT universe, with OUAT characters, with the exception of Lux.**

* * *

When the knock on the door sounded early in the afternoon, Henry had a moment of panic that his mothers had come home early and in his rush to hide the _Halo _game he wasn't supposed to play, he knocked over the soda he wasn't supposed to drink.

Thankfully, it was neither of them – so hopefully he could figure out how to clean up the spill before it stained. Instead, he found a teenaged girl standing there, scuffing her boots against the cement step.

"Is your…mom or aunt or… Is Emma Swan here?" She brushed her messy blonde curls behind her toque-covered ears (the same blonde curls, Henry noted, that Emma had).

"Who are you?" he asked after a moment of studying her, deciding she definitely wasn't from Storybrooke.

"I asked you first," she retorted, a little immaturely, quirking an eyebrow.

"She went out," he shrugged. When she didn't reciprocate by answering his question, he asked again, "So, do you have a name?"

"Lux," she replied shortly. "Is she gonna be home soon or what? 'Cause, I kinda need to talk to her."

"Don't know. There's a town hall meeting or something. But you can hang out here and wait. You can play _Halo _with me." He moved to pop the disc back into his Xbox before she'd even answered.

The look she gave him was a little skeptical; she was trying not to relate to the look of sheer eagerness at the idea of having a companion to play with him. "Aren't you not supposed to let strangers inside if you're home alone?"

"It's Storybrooke," he replied, as if that made it obvious. "I'm Henry," he introduced, returning to the foyer where she still stood rooted to the spot. When she didn't seem inclined to come any further inside the house, he asked, "Why are you looking for my mom?"

Lux set her faded messenger bag on the floor, but kept a sheaf of papers clutched protectively in her hands, and scrutinized the boy, judging him to be fairly close to her age. "Emma Swan is…your mom?"

"One of them." He seemed to miss the questioning look she shot him. "How do you know her?"

"Just genetically," she said quietly, thoughtfully. He looked confused by her reply, so she explained, "She's kind of my mom too…"

Henry's eyes widened in excitement, "Hey, cool! So, that makes you like my sister!"

"Yeah, awesome," Lux said, voice making it clear she wasn't particularly enthused by that revelation. "Look, I really need to talk to her; my emancipation hearing is the day after tomorrow and I need her signature."

"Isn't that like divorcing your parents?"

She raised a brow. "Yeah, sort of, I guess. Except I don't have parents – I'm getting emancipated from foster care."

"Why didn't you get adopted?

"That's not really your business. I can't get emancipated until I get her signature because she never signed a release of parental rights, so she's still legally my mother. And I am done with bouncing around crappy foster homes with mouthwash drinking moms and dads who try to hit on me. Not that you'd know what that's like since she kept you."

"Actually, I was put up for adoption too…she had me while she was in jail. But I was adopted by my other mom and then I went to look for her and…"

That did nothing to calm her. She interrupted, "Yes, well, at least you got adopted and had a real family. At least she actually put in some effort to be in your life. You have _no_ idea how good you have it." He looked a little hurt by her tone, but she was trying hard not to let it quench her anger.

"So, do you want to play video games with me?" he asked after a long pause, "I'll have to find my other controller, it doesn't get used much."

"Aren't you worried about it killing your brain cells?" she retorted.

"That's what my mom says," he grinned in a way that implied he was breaking the rules, then hurriedly added, "My _other_ mom, not…our mom."

Before she could answer, he'd already scampered up the stairs to his room in search of the controller and Lux took advantage of the solitude to gauge her mother's new life. It was a damn sight better than foster care, that was for sure.

Henry returned, thundering down the stairs like a herd of elephants, not with a controller, but with a very large brown book. "I had a better idea!" he exclaimed with glee. "I'm going to tell you about our mom…"


	2. Chapter 2

If she'd had a thousand guesses, the last thing Emma would've predicted was waiting for her and Regina upon returning home from the (most painfully dull) town meeting would be the daughter she'd given up for adoption sixteen years ago.

And, possibly for the first time ever, Regina was stunned to a lack of words as she looked between Emma and her teenaged doppelganger and drew the obvious conclusion.

Emma had hurriedly did what the girl asked and sent her on her way, then faked an emergency that required her immediate attention at the sheriff's station so as to avoid having to have the inevitable discussion with Regina that would require a whole lot of grovelling for forgiveness for keeping such a big secret.

She had delayed going home that night as much as she possibly could, hoping to postpone that conversation for as long as possible. Not that she made a habit of keeping things from her girlfriend (or so she told herself), but this was going to be an extremely uncomfortable talk to be had and she really wasn't in the mood for it.

Like ever.

Which is why she hadn't brought it up before now. Uncomfortable conversations were not her thing. That and the fact that she had really thought she didn't need to worry about this particular adoptee boomeranging back into her life. (Of course, she'd also thought that about Henry, until proven otherwise…)

Apparently, she was destined to be that girl whose teenaged pregnancies inevitably came back to bite her in the ass.

She doubted Regina was pleased. _Again._

But it was now 11:30 at night and she'd ran every errand she could think of, over-stayed her welcome at her parents, and missed dinner. So, she had no choice but to face the wrath waiting for her at home.

With flowers in hand, she tiptoed into the dark foyer of the manor and slipped off her boots so as not to wake her sleeping son. She could see the faint light flooding out from the study where displeased words and disapproving looks were waiting and reluctantly headed towards it.

Looking appropriately sheepish, Emma kissed Regina's cheek – or rather, she tried to before Regina leaned back and out of reach, staring her down – and set the flowers in her lap, then before the tirade could begin, she effused, "I know, I should've told you sooner and I'm _so_ sorry I didn't and I'm even more sorry that _this _is how you found out."

Regina looked slightly mollified by the gesture of apology, but only slightly. "I should think so. I don't know why I'm surprised really; you do tend to excel at withholding the truth."

"I'm sorry, like _really _sorry. I wanted to tell you but...but I didn't exactly know how to start. You're kind of an intimidating person to give bad news to."

Regina gave her a look that she'd given to Henry many times, when she was deeply disappointed in him. "Did you honestly just blame me for your lack of forthrightness? Because I 'frighten' you?"

"No, I didn't mean that you were _scary_ or anything – this isn't an 'Evil Queen' thing…" Emma cringed at the look shot in her direction at the use of the much hated title she'd promised not to use. "You just don't really inspire calm in the face of unpleasant news."

"What exactly did you think was going to do to you when you told me? And I swear to God, if you say you thought I'd curse you, I will…"

Emma cut her off, not really wanting to hear the punishment for such an offense. "I don't know," she mumbled self-consciously, "I spent my childhood bouncing from foster home to foster home. I went to jail at eighteen and had Henry in there! I...I didn't want you to think I was any more of a mess than I already am."

"Emma, I don't think you're a mess," Regina with gentleness surprising for the middle of an argument. "I think you're an idiot sometimes, but that's probably just in your genes. But I've been honest with you about my misdeeds, which wasn't easy, and I expected the same from you because you promised that I would get that. Are there any more children that popped out of you that I should know about? Does she have a twin? Or maybe Henry has a younger sibling you also forgot to mention?"

"No!" Her head shot up, eyes wide as if the very prospect was terrifying. "No. Only two. I promise."

She shook her head again as if said promise were laughable. "How is that not once, but twice, you've managed to disrupt my life with your forsaken children?" Emma didn't respond, but it was mostly rhetorical anyway. "And to think I honestly thought that your asking for a date would be the last thing you could possibly do to surprise me."

"I swear, I really had no idea this was going to happen," Emma shrugged, sitting down across from Regina, still managing to look sufficiently guilty. "I mean, I figured after sixteen years, she just wasn't interested in meeting me."

"You still could've mentioned it to me," Regina replied sounding momentarily hurt; it would take some time to win back her trust after this. "So…" She leaned back and restored her stoic composure. "Tell me."

Emma sighed. "I was sixteen. I'd been dating this guy for almost three years and I was sure I was in love with him – more than I ever loved Neal. He was the best thing in my life, my best friend. Then at the winter formal, I was deflowered in the back of his mom's minivan, drunk on Zima, to the soundtrack of 'Two Princes' by the Spin Doctors." At Regina's look, she gave a humorless laugh, "Magical, I know. A few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant – for which my foster parents kicked me back to the group home, by the way. But before I could tell him, he was killed in a car accident."

Regina gave her a sympathetic half-smile and reached across to rest a hand on her knee. "Was it True Love?" she asked.

"It felt like it…but it's hard to tell, I was sixteen." Emma shrugged. "Obviously, given that I was still basically an orphan, I wasn't exactly equipped for child-rearing, especially as a single parent, so I gave her up. I was told she'd get placed no problem and that was the last I heard of it."

"But she wasn't adopted?" While she wasn't entirely familiar with the adoption process (when Gold wasn't involved), she found it hard to believe a baby hadn't been quickly snapped up by parents.

"Apparently, she was born with a heart defect and no one wanted to sign on for a kid on the operating table. And by the time she was healthy, she was three and – as I remember – no one particularly wants toddlers."

"Did you tell her you were also in the foster system?" Regina raised a brow; it was quite a remarkable coincidence really.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I figured the best way to ingratiate myself with the daughter that hates my guts for abandoning her was to tell her I gave her the crappy life I had."

"Right." Regina studied the other woman for a long moment, gauging her mental state after the events of the day. "You do realize no sane judge is going to grant this girl legal adulthood, right?"

Evidently, she hadn't thought it through too far. After an extended pause, Emma said thoughtfully, "You want to know the weirdest part? Lux's father…his name was Daniel. Freaky coincidence, huh?"


	3. Chapter 3

"I really wish you hadn't insisted on wearing that hideous jacket," Regina whispered to Emma, eyeing the red leather with obvious distaste. "We're in a court of law, the accepted paradigm is to dress nicely."

"Hey," Emma shrugged, "I'm not wearing a prison jumpsuit, so it's an improvement over the last time."

Regina shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh, but said nothing more. At least the teenaged Emma clone managed to look a little more presentable, though not by much.

"You didn't have to come with me," Emma said quietly. She had a feeling Regina was still at least a little bit mad over the whole debacle.

"Yes, well, I thought you might need the moral support." There was a long pause. "And I wanted to keep you from doing something stupid." Of course, Emma had a snappy retort ready, but Regina silenced her before she could get it out.

"I see you turn sixteen tomorrow," the judge remarked, looking at Lux's file.

The teenager stood straighter, appearing to attempt to feign confidence. "Yes – and I'll be old enough to get emancipated and I can get my GED, get a job…"

"And is this is your case worker here?"

"I am, your honor," the case worker spoke up, "I've only been with Lux a few months; she tends to change hands often."

"I see that – seven different foster homes."

"That's not really my fault," Lux rushed to supply.

The judge raised a brow. "And whose is it? Surely you're not saying it's the seven different families that tried to take you in?"

"No, I mean…" Lux stammered, "I _wanted_ a good home, the State of Maine just hasn't provided me with one."

"So, you have no permanent place of residence as of today?" The judge looked less than thrilled.

"Well, as soon as my petition is granted, there's a studio not far from my school."

"You're going to afford an apartment on what income?"

Lux appeared to sense this was heading decidedly _not_ in her favor. "I have three thousand dollars in the bank."

"And who's going to co-sign your rental agreement?"

Lux jutted out her chin in indignance. "The whole point of getting emancipated is that I won't _need_ it co-signed."

"No landlord is going to rent to a minor."

"I'll co-sign, your honor," Emma said, jumping to her feet. Regina dropped her head to her hands; this was _exactly _what she'd predicted happening.

The judge looked in their direction, expression somewhere close to displeasure. "I'm sorry, who are you?" she pointed towards the woman who'd interrupted.

"She's…my birth mother," Lux muttered, appearing not to be too happy about it either.

The judge gestured for Lux's file to be handed to her. "Ma'am, you're a town sheriff? In possession of a working vehicle. Spent time in jail for a juvenile offense, but a clean record for the past ten years." She looked up to consider Emma.

"I'm sorry, what is going on!?" Lux asked, brows knit in confusion.

"I'm going to be very straight with you," the judge said, staring directly at Lux. "I am _not_ granting you emancipation; you have no income, you have no permanent residence, you filed a fee waiver to cover your court costs. Emma Swan is still legally your parent."

"Actually, she's not," Lux said sounding almost angry. "I had that paper signed!"

"That signature was neither witnessed nor notarized. So, unless anyone here has any objections, I'm releasing you back into her temporary custody."

* * *

"How did I know something like this would happen?" Regina asked Emma, raising a brow.

"What was I supposed to do?" Emma shrugged as if it had been completely out of her control. "Say no to the judge? Send her back to foster care?"

"I don't think you've thought this all the way through," Regina insisted. "Taking care of Henry is one thing, taking care of a sixteen year old girl is completely different. Especially one not only with a heart condition, but also undoubtedly emotionally damaged from growing up without a stable home."

"I was a foster kid too, Regina, I think I can figure out how to parent one."

"Remember you said that a few months from now…I strongly suspect you'll come to regret those words."

Just then, Lux came stomping down the steps outside the courthouse towards them. "Well, that was the opposite of getting emancipated."


	4. Chapter 4

Snow and Charming – or Mary Margaret and David as Emma had _insisted_ they introduce themselves to their sixteen year old granddaughter when they meet for the first time – stood awkwardly outside Regina's home where Emma had moved in, despite their objections. It was still an uncomfortable idea for them to willingly attend a party, of all things, at their arch-nemesis' residence, but Emma had insisted they come seeing as the teenager knew no one in the town and it was her birthday.

They had a feeling that the request for their presence was equally, if not more important to Emma than it was to the younger girl, since they'd likely both had more than their fair share of birthdays spent celebrating alone. It was deeply saddening to them as parents and grandparents, but there was nothing they could do about the past, so at least they could try to make Lux's Sweet Sixteen special. Even if it meant being pleasant and socializing with Regina.

Before long, the sound of Henry sprinting down the stairs to answer the door could be heard, followed quickly by Regina's reprimand to stop running in her house before he breaks something. He let his grandparents in with a lopsided grin, knowing that they'd heard.

"Well, don't you look handsome," Snow said, smiling at him, instantly causing a signature teenage scowl to cross his face.

"Mom made me dress up," he grumbled, running a hand over his neatly combed hair, trying to get it to stick up in his signature scraggly mop again. "I look like a dork."

Charming winked at him. "Trust me, the ladies like a well-dressed man." Henry's cheeks flushed a deep tomato red.

Henry stood back to let them into the house, then disappeared into the living room where he was playing some kind of board game with Ruby and Emma (because Regina has insisted video games weren't 'social' enough for a party) and Lux was nowhere to be seen. Snow and Charming were left alone in the large kitchen with Regina.

Snow set the gift they'd brought down on the kitchen counter; it had been a last minute purchase and they'd had to guess what she'd like, but they hadn't wanted to turn up empty-handed. "Thank you for inviting us," she said trying to fill her voice with enthusiasm, "We're looking forwards to getting to know Lux."

_Emma hadn't actually broken the news to them that they had a granddaughter until the previous night._

_She'd shown up unexpectedly, obviously intending to talk to them about something, but continually finding things to distract from said topic. She was admittedly not the most eloquent person in the world, especially when it was an uncomfortable subject and, more often than not, she just preferred to hold it in rather than be put on the spot._

_She ended up waiting until almost the very last second to actually come out and say it._

_It was remarkably similar to the day she'd confessed to being in love with Regina, so they were admittedly nervous about what she had to say. Charming reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder and sighed, "Emma..."_

_"Don't 'Emma' me…" She cocked her head to the side, feeling a little like a five year old caught with her hand in the cookie jar as her parents looked at her with that concerned look with just a hint of scolding. She let out a breathy whine in defeat. "Fine. Just…please don't be mad."_

_"Emma, honey, you can tell us anything."_

_"Alright," Emma sighed, clapping her hands together in a fit of nervous energy. "Alright. So, the whole thing with having Henry was kind of only half the story. Before I met Neal there was another boyfriend whom I loved. I was sixteen when I ended up pregnant…I had to give her up because I was still in foster care and the father died before she was born."_

_She'd barely gotten the words out before Snow had engulfed her in a consoling bone-crushing hug, a deep pitying sadness in her eyes. Emma was almost overwhelmed by the wave of guilt she felt radiating off of her mother._

_"But she never ended up getting adopted and a judge sort of released her into my custody… So, now she's living with me and Regina." And since she really didn't feel like discussing the matter any further, knowing they were prone to talk about 'feelings' and 'family', she was halfway out the door. "Come over tomorrow. It's her birthday, we're having a party."_

"Emma insisted," Regina replied, though her tone was civil. "Unfortunately, it seems that I'm stuck with having you as extended family, with your remarkable ability to turn my life upside down."

"Well, we are a family now. We share everything, the good and the bad," Snow said, surprised that Regina had sort of accepted them.

"Do me a favour. Share less," the older woman said, her lips quirking up, despite her best efforts to appear displeased.

"We'll try."

When silence fell, eager to keep the peace between them, Charming asked, "Is Lux excited about the party?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Regina turned and busied herself with putting candles on the small cake she'd made last minute. "She's spent the majority of her time barricaded in her bedroom. I'm sure she'll be down soon."

"Well, she's family too now and we're here to make sure she has a happy birthday." Snow's grin was overly cheerful.

"I'm sure Emma made it abundantly clear that for once in your life you'll need to keep a secret because Lux is in no state of mind to deal with the utter bewilderment that is her family tree."

"Oh… But you are going to tell her eventually, right?"

"Tell who what?" The three adults turned to find the young blonde standing awkwardly just outside the kitchen, hands in her pockets, not quite making eye contact with anyone.

Emma came up behind the girl and put her hands on her shoulders. "Surprise. We couldn't forget your birthday…"

"You must be Lux," Snow said, crushing the girl in a hug without warning, leaving Lux stunned, eyes wide and a little alarmed. When she released her, Snow stared at her for a long moment and ran a hand through her hair, taken aback by how much she looked like a young Emma; it was like a window into the years she'd missed in her daughter's life. "I'm Mary Margaret – a…friend of Emma's. Happy Birthday."

"I wanted to invite some of your friends, but I don't know who they are yet, so I had to invite some of my own," Emma piped up. "I hope that's not too lame."

"No one's ever really remembered before," Lux murmured, trying very hard not to let herself smile.

"Come on, you've got to make a wish," David said, gesturing towards the flickering candles on the cake.

Lux moved to look down at the cake, with her name spelled out in icing, and inhaled deeply. Regina pulled back the long curls to keep them from falling into the flames. Lux shut her eyes for a long time before blowing out the candles, with only one left lit.

"You've got to get the last one or it won't come true!" Henry exclaimed.

Lux glanced around the room full of people. "I think it already has…"


	5. Chapter 5

"I may not be the sheriff," a voice drawled from the doorway to her bedroom, "But I'm quite certain that you are legally required to be in school at this moment."

Lux looked up from the beat-up second-hand laptop her boyfriend, Bug, had given her when she'd left so that they could keep in touch while he remained in Portland; she'd been Skyping him, bemoaning the small backwards town she'd ended up in and how badly she wished he was there with her. Her new foster mother stood there in her perfectly pressed pencil skirt and blouse, looking down at Lux with a raised brow and an unreadable expression.

Lux had assumed both women had gone off to work that morning after ushering her and Henry out the door for her first day of school in the new town.

Her career at Storybrooke High School had lasted all of two hours before she had decided the place was definitely not for her.

As she'd tossed her backpack out the window of the first floor girls' washroom, then followed after it, she decided there must not be a whole lot of truancy in this town (although, if stories were to be believed, her 'brother' had done quite a bit of skipping school before she'd come around).

She wasn't entirely sure where she'd go in a new town – an incredibly small new town at that – where she had no friends, no Bug, and parents who actually gave a damn. But that had never stopped her before.

Which is how she'd ended up back in her bedroom, intending to hide until the end of the school day.

When Lux failed to respond, Regina continued, "I don't know how strict your other foster parents were about your attendance, but in Maine, you cannot legally drop-out of school before seventeen. So, as long as you're living with Emma and me, you will be continuing to get an education."

Lux quite obviously rolled her eyes and let out a huff.

Regina assumed Henry hadn't yet given her the whole 'Evil Queen' speech because the girl didn't seem the least bit intimidated. "I'm not trying to be a tyrant here, but if there's anything I can do to prevent it, I will not allow you to make your mother's mistakes. I love the woman, but she'd birthed two illegitimate children and done a stint in jail, all before she was legally able to drink alcohol, so she's obviously not the greatest at making intelligent decisions. I'm not saying it was because she dropped out of high school, but I'm not willing to take that chance."

Lux gave a snort that seemed almost amused, though it could've been irritation.

Regina crossed the room to sit down next to the girl on the bed. "In case you haven't realized, it's a small town, not a lot of places to hide. And I've already found all the good ones during Henry's rebellious phase. Not to mention that Emma's the town sheriff and, as she always brags, she's very skilled at finding people. I'm afraid you're out of luck here." She said it gently, trying to be soft with the girl.

Lux sighed and looked down at her lap guiltily. "I'm sorry I skipped school, I just… I don't fit in there!"

"I'm sure Storybrooke can be a bit of a change of pace after living in Portland."

"No," she grumbled, "It's not that, I've changed schools a dozen times, I've gotten pretty good at it. The people here are just different. They all walk around smiling like idiots!"

Regina had to try quite hard to stifle her laughter, two specific idiots coming immediately to mind.

"I mean, they're nice people, I guess," Lux continued, "But it's not _real_, being happy all the time, it's like they've never had anything bad happen to them…like living in foster care for sixteen years."

Regina was starting to think that perhaps they hadn't adequately prepared the jaded girl for the kind of characters she was likely to encounter in her new environment. She could relate to the teenager, knowing the nauseated feeling she'd gotten from everyone for whom happy endings were taken for granted as a girl who'd struggled through years of misery.

"I'll call the school and tell them you fell ill," Regina murmured, unable to keep herself from running her hand over the utterly familiar blonde curls. "But tomorrow, you're going to school."


	6. Chapter 6

'_Damn, Regina,'_ Emma thought. She was the one who'd insisted Emma 'open a channel of honest dialogue' or something with her daughter. She had been perfectly content to maintain their begrudging silence until something forced them to communicate, as had been the standard foster home protocol, but Regina had been very clear that she had some concerns and it wasn't her place as the birth-mother's lesbian partner to address them.

Maybe she was right. But Emma certainly wasn't about it admit it any time soon.

Regina tended to be right, more often than not, so Emma would reluctantly have the awkward conversation.

"So…" Emma said from the entrance to the kitchen, plunging her hands into her pockets to keep from fidgeting. She mentally cringed realizing that, yes, that really was her best conversation starter.

Lux looked up from her homework and raised a brow, but said nothing. She was drumming a chewed-up pencil on the table, but there didn't appear to be anything written on the page in front of her.

Emma cleared her throat uncomfortably and tried to find the words to begin. "So," she said again, dumbly.

"Are there words coming up in this conversation?" Lux asked smartly.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure you haven't spoken ten words to me in the past twenty-four hours, smartass," Emma retorted, though she wasn't entirely proud of it.

Lux gave a small appreciative laugh and Emma gave herself permission to relax a little, though the battle was far from won. "Pretty sure you're not supposed to call your kid a smartass, but whatever."

Emma crossed the room and lifted herself to sit on the counter – a habit that Regina had repeatedly scolding her for. "Look, I'm not great at this…" She motioned between the two of them. "Like the whole talking thing."

"I'm _shocked_."

Emma rolled her eyes. The girl _was_ a smartass. "Obviously, this isn't the 'arrangement' you wanted…which I get, seeing your birth parents as real people takes some getting used to. But the thing is, you're kinda stuck with me for the moment, so we'll have to do the thing."

"You are _really_ good at this," Lux said sarcastically.

"Give me a break," Emma shrugged, "You're not exactly Dr. Phil either. Can you just work with me here for five minutes and we can get to know each other?"

Lux swivelled in her chair and folded her legs up underneath her. "Alright, five minutes. Should we braid each other's hair and gossip about boys while we're at it?

Emma easily recognized the defense mechanism being employed here, using sarcasm to redirect conversation from venturing anywhere personal. She was more than capable of playing that game. "So, you admit there's a boy to talk about?"

"What?" Lux's eyes widened suddenly. "No, I mean… I was just… I…"

Emma tried not to take too much pleasure in her daughter's obvious discomfort. "Regina already blew your cover on that one, kid…"

"She told you about Bug?"

It took almost a full minute for Emma to find a response. "_Really_? Your boyfriend's name is _Bug_?"

"That's not his _real_ name," Lux said, rolling her eyes. "His real name is Bobby, but everyone calls him Bug because of the spider tattoo."

"Your boyfriend is named Bug and he has a _spider tattoo_?"

"On his neck. And he's eighteen, so it's legal."

"That's…nice," Emma mumbled, struggling to find accurate adjectives and not appear too judgemental since she was hardly the font of teenage dating advice. "How did you meet Bug?"

Lux's eyes took on a somewhat dreamy quality. "My best friend Tasha introduced us. He ripped off a 7-Eleven for me. It was love at first Slurpee."

Emma could barely suppress the groan, but decided to table the whole consequences of dating a teenage delinquent conversation for the time being. "So, have you…been _intimate _with him?" She tried not to sound too judgemental and parent-like when she said it."

"Emma!" Lux hissed her mother's name between her teeth, looking entirely horrified at the words that had just come out of her mouth. "I do _not _want to talk about this."

Emma wasn't stupid, she was capable of guess what that meant. She gave a sigh and dragged her fingers through her hair. "Not to, you know, lecture or anything, just…be safe and stuff? Like use _protection_ or whatever if you do that stuff.

Lux hid her face in her hands. "Please stop."

"Not that I'm a good example or anything, just take me as a cautionary tale. Because giving birth sucks. And giving up the baby you just pushed out of you sucks more. And being pregnant isn't exactly a walk in the park either. I'd know, I did it twice. Just take my word for it because I might be a crappy mom and everything, but I want better for you, okay?"

"That's kind of putting on a raincoat when you're already wet, but sure."

Emma felt her stomach drop. "Oh, please, dear Lord, tell me you aren't pregnant!?"

"I was referring to the fact that you kind of failed at the whole giving me a better life thing because guess what…foster care still sucks."

"I know and I'm sorry," Emma gushed, "It wasn't really my fault, but I'm still _really _sorry." She wondered how many more times she'd have to say that in the coming weeks.

"And in case you couldn't tell, being stuck in this nuthouse of a town with you isn't exactly my idea of paradise…but yeah, thanks for saving the day at my hearing. That was really great."

"No judge was going to let a sixteen year old live on her own," Emma reasoned. "You need parents."

"Please," Lux scoffed, "You can't be a parent. You still _need _parents." The conversation was signalled to be over at that point when the teenager stomped upstairs to her room, leaving a slightly bewildered Emma in her wake.

Emma groaned, shaking her head in defeat. "I take it you had a nice talk," a voice came from somewhere behind her.

"Regina..." she sighed tiredly. "How much did you hear?"

"Not much. Just some very sound advice about not having premarital sex with a juvenile felon named Bug. Words to live by, really."


	7. Chapter 7

Henry could hear Lux (it still felt strange to call her his sister) stomping back and forth in her room, talking loudly on the phone to her boyfriend. It had become something of a commonplace routine, her complaining about how messed up Storybrooke was and how much she wished she was back in Portland, even if the foster homes there sucked.

She and Henry had yet to truly bond and, at least to him, it seemed she had no desire to even talk to him. Emma said it wasn't his fault, that being reluctant to connect to anyone was just something you learned in foster care to protect yourself, but it still felt liked being rejected.

Not that he could really blame her… He'd overheard her telling Emma ('telling' being in a volume somewhere close to shouting, so it didn't really count as eavesdropping) that her last foster brother had liked to burst into the bathroom while she showered in order to see her naked. So he tried to understand her hesitation.

Over the last few days – in which he absolutely had _not_ been spying – he'd heard her making plans for her boyfriend to come to Storybrooke and rescue her, he assumed to whisk her away to Portland. Henry knew _exactly_ how that would play out, but Lux seemed not to have realized yet that there was no escaping Storybrooke now that she was here.

"Lux?" he said hesitantly, knocking on her door and hoping she wouldn't bite his head off for bugging her.

"What?" she snapped back. "I'm busy, Henry."

"It's important," he insisted. He wanted to save her from the disaster that was surely coming.

She gave a dramatic sigh and spoke into her phone that she'd see him when he got here. The door swung open so suddenly, Henry took a quick step back, startled. Lux had one eyebrow cocked, hand on her hip, emanating impatience.

When she didn't say anything, Henry took it upon himself to start the conversation. He hadn't planned how he would explain the whole town line thing and he suddenly found himself stumbling over his words. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we don't really get a lot of tourists around here."

She sighed. This wasn't going to be a conversation that ended quickly, so she walked over and dropped unceremoniously on her bed, which Henry took as his cue to sit down in her desk chair, his book in his lap.

"None, actually," he continued as if there hadn't been a pause. "Because no one knows Storybrooke exists. If you're not from here, you can't find it."

"I found it," she pointed out as if proving him crazy.

"Because you're a part of Storybrooke. Emma was born in the Enchanted Forest, so that means you were supposed to be a part of the story."

The look Lux was giving him was somewhere between exasperation and outright derision. "Yeah, you told me some story when we met that I one hundred percent don't believe. But whatever. What's your point?"

"I know your boyfriend is coming here and…" Her eyes suddenly burned with anger and he was momentarily struck with the realization that Emma had the exact same enraged look. He rushed to explain, "I wasn't _trying_ to listen to your conversation, it was just…loud. But I'm trying to help."

"I don't need your help and it's really none of your business."

"Lux, he won't be able to find Storybrooke, he's not…"

She cut him off and he could see the moment she dismissed him as just a stupid kid (even though he really wasn't that much younger than her). "Fairytales don't exist. Trust me. And if you tell Emma that Bug is coming, you'll regret it."

* * *

"Where the hell is this Storybrooke place?" Bug snapped over the phone, "Unless you're living in some kind of book, this town does not exist." With one foot on the road to balance his motorbike, he unfolded and refolded the map of Maine, trying to figure out where he was and where exactly his girlfriend was supposed to be. "I can't find it anywhere on the damn map!"

Lux was waiting at the town line, pacing from the abundance of nervous energy. Bug should arrive any minute and she could get the hell out of this place.

"Are you _sure _you gave me the right directions? You do this, you know, you get totally lost because you have no sense of direction."

She was used to his barbs and just rolled her eyes in response. "Just drive until you see me, I'm waiting for you in the middle of the highway, looking like a lost idiot. Unless you're blind, it is literally impossible to…" She stopped pacing and stared down the road. "Wait! I see you!" She stood up on her toes and waved her arm frantically to attract his attention.

"Stop screwing around, Lux, this isn't funny!"

"I'm not screwing with you," she retorted, "I will literally walk right up to you and show you." She took several steps forward until her foot was on the verge of stepping over the fluorescent orange link demarcating the boundary between Storybrooke and the outside world. "Ow, what the hell!?" she yelped as a jolt ran up her leg.

She shook out the offending limb and made another attempt to cross the border, only to be rebuffed a second time with a shock sending her stumbling back several steps.

"What the hell, Lux?" He was entirely sure there nothing but a long stretch of empty road extending in front of him and it most definitely didn't lead to any small town. "If this some kind of joke, it's not fucking funny."

"I swear, I'm not kidding," she insisted, "I can _see_ you!"

"Dammit, Lux!" The temper apparent in his voice made her wince slightly. "If you think you're better than me because you've got your mommy now, just say it; don't screw around making me look for you when you don't want to be found!"

"But, _no_," her voice edged toward a whine, eyes starting to water, unbidden. "That's not what this is!" She leaned over the border with her shoulder, trying to put some force behind it and was again flung forcefully backwards.

"They'll just end up throwing you aside like trash, just like all the others." His voice was laced with venom and she understood exactly, he'd been just as victimized by the system as she had and his parents had been even worse. "But this time, don't expect me to pick up the fucking pieces when it all goes to hell! I'm done, Lux."

"Bug!" she cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Bug, please!"

"We're done," His voice was devoid of emotion now as he pulled the chain from around his neck and tossed his half of their matching promise rings into the dirt and started up the sputtering motor on his bike and drove into the distance.

Lux let out a heart-rending wail and took a running start at the border, only to be flung back a final time where she lay in the dirt sobbing.

Henry emerged from where he'd been hiding, having witnessed the whole blow-up and quietly sat down beside his sister and rested a hand on her heaving shoulder. He'd tried to warn her…maybe now she'd believe him about the Book.


	8. Chapter 8

"Break ups suck, huh?"

The glare Lux shot her across the room was withering, until she realized it wasn't Emma, then the look softened. Regina wasn't sure exactly when or how the girl had warmed to her, but somehow, the teenager had chosen her as the more agreeable of the two women.

In Regina's opinion, based on their limited interactions, it was because the two blondes were far too similar.

The older woman gently set herself on the edge of the bed and offered Lux a small container of ice cream and a spoon. She didn't exactly have a lot of personal experience with break-ups (at least, not ones that didn't involve her mother crushing someone's heart), but if the romantic comedies that Emma inexplicably loved were to be believed, ice cream was a requirement when dealing with heartbreak.

"Rocky road?" Lux asked, though it wasn't as unkind as it could've been.

"It's a metaphor, dear," Regina said, earning a snort of what might've been laughter from the girl.

"How much did Henry tell you?" Lux asked eventually, around a large mouthful of ice cream.

Regina bit back the urge to tell her not to talk with her mouth full. "Very little, actually. It seems you've successfully put the fear of God in him. But I suppose that's what older sisters are for."

Lux grunted non-committally.

"If you feel like talking about it, I've got some time," Regina said in what she hoped was a comforting way.

The question that came instead was the last thing she'd anticipated coming out of the teenager's mouth. "Henry was right, wasn't he?"

"Right about what, dear?"

"It's totally absolutely crazy, right? How could this town possibly be _literally_ right out of a fairy tale story book or some shit like that?"

The urge to correct the girl's cursing wasn't as strong as it might've been, given Regina's prolonged exposure to Emma and her incurable potty-mouth. The only thing she could find to say that she didn't think would come off sounding patronizing was "I've found most things in life simply don't make sense no matter how much you want them to."

Lux let a puff of air out through her nostrils. "I just don't get it… Bug has always _always_ been there for me and now he's just…gone."

Regina chanced placing a hand on the girl's knee in a gesture of comfort. "I don't mean to sound like a Hallmark card, but if he'd truly been the one, he wouldn't have given up so easily." The eye roll the statement earned her (another signature Emma gesture) didn't go unnoticed, but she didn't comment.

"So, what about you? Any big heartbreak stories in your past?"

"None that you'd believe," Regina remarked dryly. If Lux was still on the fence about believing in the magic keeping the town segregated from the rest of the world, she definitely wasn't ready to believe in the magic of ripping someone's heart out.

Lux scoffed and cocked her head to the side. "What could you possibly come up with that's more unbelievable than Henry's story about my mother being sent here in a magical hollowed out tree?"

Regina's small laugh was humorless. "That would actually be one of the more believable tales of the Enchanted Forest."

"I find that difficult to believe," the teenager muttered, "But I could use a good BS story to take my mind off things… Go ahead, blow my mind."

"How is it possible that you're so much like your mother?" Regina murmured under her breath. "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Go on," Lux said, waving her spoon around like an orchestra conductor and Regina physically had to bite her lip to keep from commenting on the melting ice cream dripping on the sheets.

"Alright… When I wasn't much older than you – and long before your mother was born – there was a young man named Daniel who worked in the stables whom I loved. But through events set in motion by my mother, I ended up betrothed to a king; against my will, I might add. So, Daniel and I made plans to elope together to avoid my marriage to the king, but Snow White and her infuriating inability to keep a secret told my mother of our plans. She ripped his heart out before my eyes and crushed it to dust, killing him."

"Wait, wait, wait," Lux interrupted, gesticulating wildly again. "What do you mean, ripped his heart out? Like with a knife, all Jack the Ripper-y?" She mimed stabbing the air with her spoon.

"No, not like that," Regina sighed, making a mental note to wash the girl's bedclothes. "With magic. She can plunge her hand inside someone's chest without physically wounding them, and pull out their heart."

"Really?" Lux scrunched up her nose. "Sounds gross…and messy."

"Actually, there really isn't any blood involved. The heart is more like a pomegranate, but with a crystalline outer shell and it glows pink with the heartbeat."

"So, you can do it too?" The girls expression seemed considerably less enthused.

"That's a much longer and more complicated story, actually; a lot of backstory is involved, but yes."

After a pause, they side-stepped the issue. "So, your mother killed someone right in front of you like some unstoppable crazy bitch?"

Regina gave an undignified snort. "I suppose that's an accurate assessment of her character. Perhaps, in light of that, you might see fit to go a little easier on Emma. She's kind of an idiot sometimes – but I don't think she can help it, it's in her genes – but she does mean well, whether it's obvious or not. She tries her best."

Lux lolled her head back in what might've been frustration.

"Emma's kind of like an overgrown kid. She doesn't always do the right thing or say the right thing, but she does her best, so maybe try cutting her a little slack?"

Lux sighed and pursed her lips, but looked conceding, which Regina took as a win. "I'm still not sure I believe your stories," she added as an afterthought.


	9. Chapter 9

"Lux, dinner," Emma insisted from outside the teenager's bedroom.

"I'm not hungry," she replied in a sing-song voice from the other side of the closed door.

The two of them had been fighting the same battle for nearly a week. Lux was decidedly against any sort of interaction that might count as "family bonding" and had spent the vast majority of her time in Storybrooke shut up in her room.

To be fair, she didn't seem to have anything against spending time with Regina, Emma had noticed. But as soon as she entered the room, Lux had no desire to be anywhere near. She got it, she really did – Emma had been a stranger her whole life, that didn't exactly breed a lot of good will between a mother and daughter...but at least Emma was trying, which was more than could be said for Lux.

And Emma was trying pretty damn hard not to think about whether she was being a giant hypocrite based on her recent reunion with her birth parents.

"Lux, you need to eat something," Emma tried to sound as stern as possible (she seemed to remember someone saying that the key to dealing with teenagers was making them respect your authority or something). "It's just pizza, okay? I didn't even cook it."

"Not. Hungry."

"Lux," Emma snapped, her temper wearing thin. This kid really knew how to push her buttons.

Suddenly the door swung open, nearly clipping Emma who could barely react fast enough to get out of the way and keep the plate of food in her hands from spilling all over the floor. Lux was there staring her in the face, expression icy. "I said I don't want it."

"Well, I hadn't seen you eat all day and we – I mean, I was worried about you. I know I used to have anaemia when I was your age and I know if you don't eat properly..." She trailed off, seeing the look her diatribe was earning her.

"Wow, thanks," Lux said sarcastically, "It's really great that you've been so worried about me...for a week. That's really helpful."

Emma stood there for a moment with her mouth hanging open, completely lost for what to say.

"Now leave me _alone_."

Emma's patience had officially worn thin. "You live here now and whether you like it or not, I am in charge of you now. And I am going to do the responsible mom thing, which includes making sure you eat three meals a day. Maybe I haven't always been there, but I am _trying_."

Lux shot her a murderous look and Emma briefly wondered if perhaps the girl was spending too much time around Regina because the glare reminded her of the early looks she'd received from the brunette.

"Does this have anything to do with that Bug kid?" Emma asked, furrowing her brows. "Because..."

"Don't talk about him!" Lux interrupted, "Don't say his name!"

Suddenly, before either of them could comprehend what was happening, the air seemed to crackle with energy briefly, then Emma went flying, her back crashing loudly against the far wall. Hitting the floor with a dull thud and the sound of a shattering dinner plate, Emma struggled to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her, looking entirely stunned and just a bit confused.

Lux, for her part, looked even more stunned and almost horrified, staring at her hands like they belonged to someone else and this was the first time she'd ever seen them. "What..." she stammered, "How did... What..."

Emma groaned as she struggled to her feet again before examining Lux suspiciously. "You have magic!?" she exclaimed, "Did you know?"

"Magic!?" the girl nearly shouted, finally lifting her gaze from her hands, "What are you talking about!? What the fuck happened!?"

She was saved from having to attempt to explain when Regina emerged on the landing, looking confused – and just a little annoyed – at the ruckus that had interrupted the quiet evening. "What's going on?" she asked, looking from one blonde to the other before settling on Emma who was leaning against the wall and appeared to be checking that none of her ribs were cracked. She moved to Emma's side, delicately skirting the fragments of china on the floor, resting a hand comfortingly on her shoulder and silently asking the other woman if she was alright.

"I..." Lux looked helplessly at Regina, seemingly begging for forgiveness, her entire body trembling like a leaf. "I just wanted her to leave me alone, I didn't mean to hurt her! I don't know what happened, she just went flying!" Her legs suddenly seemed to give out and she dropped to her knees. "What_ am _I?" she whispered, pleading, "I swear, I didn't mean to hurt her! I'm a monster!"

"Lux, no one thinks you're a monster," Regina attempted to soothe. It was a feeling she was rather familiar with, having had the same thoughts in her early experiences with magic. "Come here..." She held out her arms in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

Lux shook her head insistently, eyes wide and fearful, struggling to hold back tears of shame. "No! I don't want to hurt you! Please, just stay away from me!"


	10. Chapter 10

It had become blatantly apparent to Regina that Emma and Lux were just far too similar and that was causing them to constantly butt heads. And that was putting it nicely... It was like World War III was being waged on Mifflin Street most days.

And as much as Regina took a small amount of pleasure in Emma's annoyance (not that she'd ever admit it), it was nearing a point where she was the most amiable member of the family and she was pretty sure that went against the laws of nature.

Loathe as she was to ask for help – especially from anyone who got a medical licence from a _curse_, it was no longer something she felt they could handle on their own. It was time to call in the cavalry...the cavalry being Dr. Hopper. And isn't that just a little sad...

The difficult part, of course, (apart from swallowing her pride and actually _asking _Archie for help) was dragging the two blondes to the therapy session. It seemed that not only sharing an uncontrollable mess of curls and a love of eating ketchup, there was also some kind of genetic predisposition towards stubbornness and a reluctance to admit they even _had _feelings.

And dammit, wasn't life just so much simpler when she hated Emma's guts and wished she'd just _leave_.

The other difficult part, apparently, would be forcing them to talk because they had currently been sitting in silence for what felt like eternity, but was in reality ten minutes, each too stubborn to be the one to start speaking and appear weak or whatever it was that went on in the brain of a Charming.

Regina was _this _close to cursing someone if it would end the silence that had her nearly ready to peel off her own skin just because it would be less painful.

"Perhaps it would be helpful if Regina gave us her perspective, as an outsider, on the relationship," Archie said finally, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

Regina was grateful for the suggestion and jumped on it like it was a grenade and she was the hero in an action movie. "To my eyes, it has seemed like Lux is craving a maternal figure in her life, but is afraid to confront her residual anger and other emotions towards Emma, so she's been looking to me as that source of guidance and discipline."

Lux remained slouched into the couch, arms crossed resolutely over her chest, scowling slightly. Emma, on the other hand, was leaning forwards, elbows on her knees, one of which bounced continuously in a discharge of nervous energy.

When neither said anything, Archie gave her an encouraging nod, so she continued, "While I'm glad that she respects me and feels comfortable enough to allow me to fill this role, I worry that this placement won't work out long-term if she isn't able to make peace with Emma."

Archie nodded and folded his legs to rest one ankle on the opposite knee. "That's a valid concern and it shows that you're invested in Lux's well-being and keeping your family together. Lux, do you feel that what Regina is saying is true?"

Lux shrugged noncommittally. "I dunno, maybe." At her feet, Pongo was curled up, his tail thumping lazily against the floor every time Lux moved, hoping she would pet him.

"Emma?" Archie turned to the other woman. "Why do you feel Lux has such a hard time accepting you? And why do you think you are unable to open up to your daughter when you two are so obviously very similar?"

"I don't know," Emma groaned as if she were physically in pain, "I've been super nice, like bending over backwards to make her feel welcome and everything, but she's taking it out on me that she had a crappy life, like it's my fault that..."

"It _is _your fault," Lux muttered under her breath, interrupting Emma.

"What's that?" Archie asked, sensitive insect ears having picked up on what she'd said.

"Nothing."

Archie wasn't about to let it go, however. "You said it's Emma's fault."

"Yeah," Lux shrugged, "It is – she wasn't there for me."

"Is that what this cold shoulder is about?" Archie prompted. "Emma not being there?"

Lux gave an aggravated sigh and leaned forwards. "I say yes and what? You contact the foster system and tell them to send me away to live with someone else? I don't want to live with someone else! I want to work it out with Emma and Regina!"

Archie nodded knowingly as if he'd suspected this all along. "No one here wants that, Lux. So, when you say Emma wasn't there for you, tell her what you mean."

Lux glanced between the occupants of the room, worrying her lip with her teeth, before letting out another sigh. "Where were you?" she ground out.

Emma's eyes widened a little at the anger in her tone. "What?"

"I was out there my whole life, where were you all that time? You never even _checked_, you never wondered what had happened, if I was okay?" Her eyes had filled with angry tears and Regina would have regretted forcing this conversation if she wasn't entirely convinced this would be cathartic.

"I didn't really think that I had to worry," Emma admitted quietly, "Because they told me that you were going to be adopted, that you were going to have a better life. I really thought I was doing what was right for you."

"It wasn't for _me_," Lux nearly growled, "If it was for me, you would've checked, but you did it for you! You did the right thing for _you_."

"I was sixteen years old," Emma defended herself, "I didn't have anyone to turn to. My foster mother was an alcoholic who barely knew what day it was half the time. I wrote a letter to my birth parents to ask for guidance, but when I realized that I didn't even know where to send it, that's when it hit me: I had _no _idea what a good parent was. There was just _no way_ that I could be one, not at sixteen!" Emma's eyes had filled with tears of her own by now.

"Then what about a few years after that?" Lux persisted, "When I was three and stuck in a hospital where no one visited!? Or two years after that when my foster mother shoved me into a _wall_ and told the social worker that I fell off a swing!? Where _were you_!?"

Emma's expression was transitioning to something between a kicked puppy and a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"We used to make up these stories about why we were given up because we didn't want to believe that our parents, our _mothers_ could hold us, their _babies_ and just give us up...but you did! You gave me away to _nothing _like I didn't matter to you because I didn't!"

"No!" Emma insisted. "No, Lux, you do, you matter now!" Regina actually did feel a little guilty now, seeing Emma's face crumple.

"No! Now doesn't count!" Lux stood up suddenly, startling the dog at her feet. "I don't forgive you, Emma, I don't!" At that point, she stomped out of the room and no one was sure she was ever coming back.

Emma made to follow her, but Regina gently held her back with a hand on her elbow. Now was clearly not the time.

"I know it doesn't feel like it, but what you had today was a breakthrough," Archie said, interrupting the silent conversation the two women were sharing. "I've seen other children have moments of honesty like this and that's usually when things take a turn for the better. Emma, I know you've tried to shoulder the blame, but it doesn't belong with you." Emma's expression made it clear she didn't even remotely believe that. "All three of you are committed to making this work, maybe Lux most of all. It was a hard thing she did, saying that – she risked losing you all over again..."


End file.
